Faeries
by Sarah-Sage
Summary: A short one-shot of Banna


_**Faeries**_

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Downton Abbey.

Her mother told her once that she would know the right man when he appeared. The other maids had scoffed at her silliness. Saying there was no way to know such things, but Anna was sure her mother wouldn't lie to her about that. The dreams started when she first came to Downton. She had written to her mother about them, concerned at the how improper they were, dreams of a faceless man who soothed her fears about being in a big house away from her family and friends. A man who had rough hands that dwarfed her own hands when he held them, he was taller than her and when she awoke from the dream she could never remember his face. Her mother wrote her back saying she had the same dreams about her father before meeting him.

She knew when she came down the stairs that morning for breakfast that the day held a special magic. Her mother had told her to beware of her feelings and today she was jittery and nervous. Butterflies were making a nest in her tummy and she had no idea why until she was coming down to the service hall. She didn't see his face, but she knew he was the man. The one she had dreamt about. She felt her knees go a little weak at the sight of him. She knew why she had been so jittery for the morning. Anna prided herself on being practical and hardworking, so seeing her dream man in front of her in reality was something unexpected and she took a but a moment to recover.

It was had been a couple weeks since she had learned his name, John Bates. Her insides had quivered at the sound of his voice. It was nightfall and everyone was already fast asleep as she knew she should be too, but she had been awoken by her dreams. She snuck down stairs to have a small cup of warm milk to ease her mind back into rest. The terribly improper idea occurred to her as she was cleaning up after herself while her milk cooled a little bit. Just a small peak would ease any fear brought on by her dreams. Surely if she was quiet no one would catch her crossing into scandal territory. She grabbed her cup and crept slowly on to the stair well that lead up to the male servants' rooms. She wasn't sure which room was his, but she was confident that she would find it with a little luck.

Thankfully the doors were labeled similarly to how they were on the female's side. She looked for the one that said Valet. She promised herself a small peak and then she would proceed back to her own bed. She found the door and paused to calm herself. No one would ever know if she opened the door and snuck a glance at him in the dark. The door hadn't been closed completely so she pushed slightly on it, hoping it didn't creak for oil. He had left a candle burning, it was barely a flicker, but it was enough to cast a glow upon his face. She could see the book open on his chest were it had fallen when sleep overpowered him. A lock of his hair had fallen over his forehead and she ached to move it back into place.

For safety, she told herself, she was doing it to keep the house from accidentally being burnt down. She tiptoed across the floor towards his bed. Placing her cup down on his nightstand, she found her hand reaching out for the book she told herself, so he wouldn't lose his place, but her hand had a mind of its own. She felt a jolt of electricity run through her as her finger tips brushed his hair off his forehead. She paused as he moved, praying, she wasn't sure if it was that he would awake or stay sleeping. He slept on and she trailed her hand barely above touching his skin down to the book. She closed the book around a marker and set it down next to her forgotten cup of warm milk. She kneeled down beside the bed and brought her lips just a breath away from his. The excitement of this action causing her body to tense and relax at the same time and a giggle almost escaped her lips. She held her breathe in until she heard him moan in his sleep. She backed away almost tripping over her dressing gown. She blew out his candle and grabbed her own as she scurried back down the stairs and up the other set to her shared room. She slipped under her covers and took several deep breathes to calm herself. She fell asleep soon afterwards. Her cup of warm milk left forgotten on Mr. Bates' nightstand next to his book.


End file.
